It was reported last winter that CC Sabathia lost 30 pounds simply by cutting Captain Crunch out of his diet. No, really.

Of course, anyone who watched Sabathia pitch this year — especially in the second half — could not help but notice that the Yankees’ ace was not exactly in the best shape of his life. Talking with the media after agreeing to an extension with the Yankees yesterday, CC admitted that his conditioning is something that could use some attention:

“It’s something I do regardless, and be proactive,” Sabathia said during a conference call after agreeing to a new five-year, $122 million deal with the Yankees. “I just need to go out and be healthy and try to do what I can to be up there for every start for this team. For me, that means losing weight, so that’s what I’ll do.”

That’s good to hear, because the guy is an amazing pitcher. While a lot of that mass — especially below the belt — likely helps his pitching, the gut and carrying it all around can’t be helping any. If nothing else, his stamina is probably suffering as a result.

When you’re as big as Sabathia is already, and when you have the time, money and access for trainers and dietitians and everything, losing the 30-40 pounds he likely needs to lose is a doable thing. I mean, I’m just some schmo blogger and I’ve lost 27 pounds since April simply by hopping on the basement treadmill, watching science fiction shows and saying no to that extra slice of pizza from time to time.

Good luck, CC. I’d love to write a Best Shape of His Life story about you next spring that isn’t dubious or sarcastic. I then want to be able to make fun of a bunch of those “we’ll never see a 300 game winner again” stories we’ll no doubt get when you pass the mark at the end of a long and healthy career.

Buchholz, 33, was acquired by the Phillies from the Red Sox in December 2016, but he made only two starts before an MRI revealed he had a partial tear of his right flexor pronator mass. He underwent surgery in April and missed the rest of the season.